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Students looking for part time jobs will be encouraged to hear that the government has announced that the minimum wage will be increased from October.

The adult rate will rise from £5.52 an hour to £5.73 this year after an announcement from prime minister Gordon Brown. However trade unions have claimed that the rise should have been bigger.

Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB, said: " Paul Kenny, the general-secretary of the GMB, said: "In view of rising prices of food, energy, water, transport and travel, this increase is not enough to meet bills."

Dave Prentis, Unison leader, added: "A much more realistic figure would be a minimum wage of £6.75 an hour, which would lift many more families out of poverty and off means-tested benefits."

The hourly rate for 18-21 year olds will increase to £4.77 and the unions have called for a "bolder approach" from the government.

Gordon Brown has defended the rise, saying it is a 60 per cent increase since the minimum wage was introduced in 1999. He also claimed that the introduction of the minimum wage had created three million jobs.

Unison is the biggest public sector union in Europe and has more than 1.3 million members, which work in public services.

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